If you have been following the price of oil over the last few months, the chances are you're a little confused. On the one hand you have the likes of A. Gary Shilling who, in this Bloomberg article, loudly trumpets …

In 2008, Canadian economist Jeff Rubin stunned the oil market with a bold prediction: With the world economy growing at 5 percent a year, oil demand would grow with it, outpacing supply, thus lifting the oil price from $147 to over $200 a barrel.

It may be difficult to look beyond the current pricing environment for oil, but the depletion of low-cost reserves and the increasing inability to find major new discoveries ensures a future of expensive oil.

U.S. oil and gas rig counts dropped to their lowest level in over four years, falling by an additional 74 units for the week ending on January 16. The lower count provides fresh evidence that low oil prices are forcing drillers to pare back operations and slash spending.

As the polar vortex froze much of the U.S. at the beginning 2014, the period of intense cold created demand, supply and transportations factors that led to the highest prices for power and spot gas seen over the past five years.

When North Americans think of oil and gas companies, they often think of the big private sector companies such as Exxon Mobil or ConocoPhillips. However, it is always interesting to look at the sheer size and scope of some of the major government owned (or partnered) oil and gas firms to really see the extent of the industry.

This New Year, an old trend may become a new trend as conventional drilling in North America is once again in the spotlight at a time when oil prices continue their slump and the unconventional becomes increasingly uneconomical.

The crash in oil prices and the continued depression in gas prices have exploration and production companies and their services providers hunkered down, cutting capital expenditures and trying to bring spending into line with income, says Wunderlich Securities Analyst Jason Wangler.